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Challenges continue to confront (June 2008) By Wayne Mills, Member Representative & Herb Conat, Member Representative Spring arrived and that expert from Alberta was right: the ice at the junction of the Nechako and Fraser rivers isn’t a problem anymore! But the rivers are rising and we wonder which is better, the ice or the water. All kidding aside, the ice jam and the flooding it caused was a serious issue for the people of Prince George. Something does need to be done to help cope with future ice jams and spring floods. Paving keeps members busy Paving, as usual, is the big employer for Operating Engineers in the North. Pittman Asphalt picked up 36.5 km on Highway 37 from Bob Quinn. Dawson Construction got a 34.5-km stretch on Highway 16 around Tête Jaune Cache. Okanagan Aggregates scooped Dawson on the 40 lane-kilometre paving project at Nazko this season. IDL Projects Inc. was the only unionized general contractor to bid on the Cameron Street Bridge and was the low-bidder at $9.6 million. The IDL and Sharp Construction Ltd. joint venture was awarded the second phase of the Prince George airport expansion at $16.4 million. This job has a big paving portion as it involves widening the current runway to meet international standards and increasing its length by 1,200 metres. Lumber industry side effects The lumber market is affecting our shops and some of them are struggling to keep busy. Madill Equipment went down in early April. By the time the lumber market recovers (either from new markets opening up in locations such as Asia or a resurgence in U.S. home building), there may be fewer players left standing. It will make bargaining interesting. A shop stewards training course, held in Prince George on April 12, was well attended, as was the steward and member appreciation dinner that evening. The staff in District 4 hope that you work and play safely and have a good summer. |
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